Malvern Speeches

Lloyd Street Primary School: funding

Mr O'BRIEN (Malvern) -- Another year, another budget, and again this Brumby Labor government has turned its back on the students of state schools in the Malvern electorate. I have five state schools in my Malvern electorate which are stretched to capacity and which have a large maintenance backlog, yet Labor has neglected each of them again. What will it take to stop this government from punishing innocent kids based on their postcode?

Lloyd Street Primary School in Malvern East is by anyone's definition in desperate need of a major rebuild. Even my Labor opponent at the last election went into print and joined me in calling for an immediate upgrade. The school council president, Simon Richards, was quoted in this week's Stonnington Leader as saying that the school was 'desperate' for funding. 'When is it going to be Lloyd Street's turn?' he pleaded. 'The building needs painting, if it is not done soon, there will be structural damage ...', Mr Richards told the paper. But such is the neglect and callousness of the Brumby Labor government that the Lloyd Street school, like every Malvern state school, has been denied proper funding. I share the anger and frustration of the students, the parents, the teachers and the staff of these schools, who have been ignored by this government.

I give them this commitment: I will not stop fighting for them and I will not stop raising their plight until this government is forced to act or is thrown out of office and is replaced by a government that will not play politics with our children's education.